Beluga caviar
Encyclopedia
Beluga caviar is caviar
consisting of the roe
(or eggs) of the beluga sturgeon Huso huso. It is found primarily in the Caspian Sea
, the world’s largest salt-water lake, which is bordered by Iran
and the former Soviet socialist republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. It can also be found in the Black Sea
basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea
. Beluga caviar is the most expensive type of caviar, with present market prices ranging from $7,000 to $10,000 per 1 kg (2.2 lb).
, causing the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
to ban in 2005 the importation of Beluga caviar which originated in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea basin. In 2006, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) suspended all trade made with the traditional caviar-producing sturgeons of the Caspian and Black Seas (Beluga, Ossetra
and Sevruga
), (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Iran
, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine) due to the producing countries' failure to apply international regulations and recommendations. Caviar from Iran
is exempted from the ban. Iran is considered by CITES to practice effective conservation and policing of its fisheries. In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15 per cent below the official 2005 level. CITES maintained the 2007 quotas for 2008, drawing criticism for doing little to protect the declining sturgeon population.
The Beluga sturgeon can take up to 20 years to reach maturity. The fish harvested for caviar are often nearly 2,000 pounds (900 kg). The eggs themselves are the largest of the commonly used roes, and range in color from dark gray (almost black) to light gray, with the lighter colors coming from older fish, and being the most valued. A pearly white variety, called Almas (Persian
for diamond
), taken from a centennial female sturgeon, is the rarest type of Beluga available, with an extremely small production and prices reaching almost $25,000 per kilogram.
Any additions by producers diminish the value of the roe, and the caviar usually reaches the market without any additions or processing whatsoever.
, crème fraîche
, minced onion
or minced hard boiled egg whites. The higher-grade caviars, including Beluga, usually receive very little embellishment. These items can, however, be served with Beluga to be used as palate cleansers.
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
consisting of the roe
Roe
Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
(or eggs) of the beluga sturgeon Huso huso. It is found primarily in the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, the world’s largest salt-water lake, which is bordered by Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and the former Soviet socialist republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. It can also be found in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
. Beluga caviar is the most expensive type of caviar, with present market prices ranging from $7,000 to $10,000 per 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Harvesting
The Beluga sturgeon is currently considered to be critically endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
, causing the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
to ban in 2005 the importation of Beluga caviar which originated in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea basin. In 2006, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) suspended all trade made with the traditional caviar-producing sturgeons of the Caspian and Black Seas (Beluga, Ossetra
Ossetra
Ossetra caviar, one of the most prized and expensive types of caviar available today , comes from the Ossetra sturgeon , weighing 50-400 pounds and living up to 50 years...
and Sevruga
Sevruga
Sevruga is one of the highest priced varieties of caviar, eclipsed in cost only by the Beluga and Ossetra varieties. It is harvested from the Sevruga sturgeon native to the Caspian Sea, and may be distinguished from its more expensive cousins by the size of the eggs, which are generally smaller....
), (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine) due to the producing countries' failure to apply international regulations and recommendations. Caviar from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
is exempted from the ban. Iran is considered by CITES to practice effective conservation and policing of its fisheries. In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15 per cent below the official 2005 level. CITES maintained the 2007 quotas for 2008, drawing criticism for doing little to protect the declining sturgeon population.
The Beluga sturgeon can take up to 20 years to reach maturity. The fish harvested for caviar are often nearly 2,000 pounds (900 kg). The eggs themselves are the largest of the commonly used roes, and range in color from dark gray (almost black) to light gray, with the lighter colors coming from older fish, and being the most valued. A pearly white variety, called Almas (Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
for diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
), taken from a centennial female sturgeon, is the rarest type of Beluga available, with an extremely small production and prices reaching almost $25,000 per kilogram.
Any additions by producers diminish the value of the roe, and the caviar usually reaches the market without any additions or processing whatsoever.
Service
As with most caviars, Beluga is usually handled with a spoon made of mother of pearl, bone, or other non-metallic material, as metal utensils tend to impart an unwelcome metallic taste to the delicate and expensive roe. But Beluga caviar, unlike less expensive varieties, is usually served by itself on toast, whereas other caviars can be served in a variety of ways, including hollowed and cooked new potatoes, on a blini, or garnished with sour creamSour cream
Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Its name stems from the production of lactic acid by bacterial...
, crème fraîche
Crème fraîche
Crème fraîche is a soured cream containing about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5. It is soured with bacterial culture, but is less sour than sour cream. It has a comparatively high viscosity and a higher fat content....
, minced onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
or minced hard boiled egg whites. The higher-grade caviars, including Beluga, usually receive very little embellishment. These items can, however, be served with Beluga to be used as palate cleansers.